YOKOHANE LINE: THE WANGAN HIGHWAY
The Yokohane Line (Route K1) is the arterial highway of Wangan culture. Running along Tokyo Bay from Haneda through Kawasaki to Yokohama, it provides the industrial waterfront scenery that defines midnight racing imagery. This is where Wangan Midnight's "Wangan" actually is.
"Wangan" (湾岸) literally means "bay coast" or "waterfront." The term refers to the bayshore expressway routes that connect Tokyo's port areas. When enthusiasts speak of "Wangan runs," they mean these waterfront highways.
The scenery along K1 is distinctly industrial. Container ports, factories, warehouses—the working infrastructure of Tokyo Bay. At night, the lights of this machinery create an otherworldly atmosphere. It's not conventionally beautiful, but it's dramatically photogenic.
The road itself offers long straight sections. Unlike the C1 loop's tight corners, the Wangan routes allowed higher speeds—which made them the preferred territory for top-speed runs. The legends of 300km/h Porsches and GT-Rs were born here.
THE WANGAN CULTURE
Wangan Midnight captured something real about this highway. In the 1990s, tuned cars really did run these routes at night, testing top speeds in the relative emptiness of after-midnight traffic. The manga romanticized but didn't invent the culture.
Today, legal cruising still offers the Wangan experience. Driving the route at night, even at posted speeds, provides the atmosphere—the lights, the bay, the industrial landscape. You're traveling the same asphalt as the legends.